1. Technical Field
This application relates to mobile communication techniques in general, and to an apparatus and method of input and finger print recognition on a handheld electronic device in particular.
2. Description of the Related Art
Touch pads are known techniques of computer input. A touch pad has a flat surface capable of producing a signal when the flat surface is touched with a finger.
Finger print recognition is a known technique of biometric systems, utilized for recognizing the identity of a person based on physiological characteristics.
Both techniques are typically not provided simultaneously in handheld electronic devices. Although touch pads and finger print devices are common, touch pads may have very low resolution, and may use an interpretive algorithm to increase the apparent resolution, whereas finger print devices may have very high resolution. The limited surface area of a handheld electronic device may exclude the use of both touch pads and fingerprint devices simultaneously.